Marquez and Pedrosa up to speed while getting first taste of Buriram Circuit

Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa were both among just five riders who were able to lap under the 1’31” barrier on the first day of testing at the Buriram International Circuit. Marc set the third fastest time in 1’30.912”, while Dani (who suffered an uneventful late morning crash in the final corner) was fifth fastest in 1’30.960”, just 0.115” and 0.163”, respectively, down on fellow HRC rider Cal Crutchlow, the quickest man of the day.

Making the best of a sunny and very hot day (air 35°C, track 50°), the Repsol Honda men endeavoured to adapt to and learn the unfamiliar layout while also working with their team to find a good base setup and continue the development of their RC213V. The final 15 minutes of the session was dedicated to practicing starts.

Testing will continue for the next two days.

Marc Marquez

3rd1'30.912 (on lap 30 of 78)

“I’m very happy with how we started the test here in Buriram. I felt quite good from the beginning, so at first we just tried to get to know the track well. Then when we got the rhythm, we started trying some different things on the bike. We focused a little bit more on the electronic side. As the day progressed, many riders were at the front, so we need to wait until the final day before we’ll be able to really understand what the rhythm of each rider is. I think everyone will improve a lot tomorrow. Regarding the track layout, it seemed quite fast to me when I lapped it on a scooter yesterday, but today riding my bike, I realized it was slower that I was expecting, with many second- or third-gear corners. Still, there are some hard acceleration and braking points, and it will probably be challenging to manage tyre life, so we’ll work on that as well. So far we’re very happy with how it went today.”

Dani Pedrosa

5th 1'30.960 (on lap 70 of 75)

“I think today went well, even considering that the first time at a new track is always demanding because you need to learn a lot. The circuit is quite narrow, so it’s important to use the right lines and carry speed. We’re working to find the best balance in order to be quick in both the fast sectors and the more twisty ones. We lost the direction a bit in the middle of the day, and I also had a small crash when I touched the bumps in the final corner, but that can happen when you’re still trying to understand a new track. As the day went on we got back in the right path, and in the end we did a good job. So the feeling is positive, and now we’ll analyse everything and prepare for tomorrow, when we’ll work with the tyres and continue working to find the best setting.”

MotoGP 2018Friday, February 16th 2018

TestingThai Official TestThailand

Day 1

Sunny

Track Temp

50°C

Air Temp

35°C

Pos.

Rider

Num

Nation

Team

Constructor

Time/Gap

1

Crutchlow Cal

35

GBR

LCR Honda

Honda

1'30.797

2

Rins Alex

42

SPA

Team Suzuki Ecstar

Suzuki

0.012

3

Marquez Marc

93

SPA

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

0.115

4

Dovizioso Andrea

4

ITA

Ducati Team

Ducati

0.148

5

Pedrosa Dani

26

SPA

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

0.163

6

Petrucci Danilo

9

ITA

Pramac Racing

Ducati

0.206

7

Miller Jack

43

AUS

Pramac Racing

Ducati

0.247

8

Rossi Valentino

46

ITA

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP

Yamaha

0.392

9

Iannone Andrea

29

ITA

Team Suzuki Ecstar

Suzuki

0.438

10

Lorenzo Jorge

99

SPA

Ducati Team

Ducati

0.449

11

Vinales Maverick

25

SPA

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP

Yamaha

0.497

12

Zarco Johann

5

FRA

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

0.508

13

Rabat Tito

53

SPA

Reale Avintia Racing

Ducati

0.726

14

Bautista Alvaro

19

SPA

Angel Nieto Team

Ducati

0.728

15

Espargaro Aleix

41

SPA

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Aprilia

0.865

16

Redding Scott

45

GBR

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Aprilia

0.888

17

Nakagami Takaaki

30

JPN

LCR Honda

Honda

0.895

18

Abraham Karel

17

CZE

Angel Nieto Team

Ducati

0.901

19

Morbidelli Franco

21

ITA

EG 0,0 Marc VDS

Honda

0.932

20

Smith Bradley

38

GBR

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

0.944

21

Luthi Tom

12

SWI

EG 0,0 Marc VDS

Honda

1.919

22

Simeon Xavier

10

BEL

Reale Avintia Racing

Ducati

1.923

23

Kallio Mika

36

FIN

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

1.952

24

Syahrin Hafizh

55

MAL

Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Yamaha

2.368

Gallery

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Location Information

Designed by German architect Herman Tilke, the Buriram International Circuit opened in 2014 and will see MotoGP™ making its debut this season. Located around 410km northeast from the country’s capital of Bangkok, the town of Buriram in the Buriram province literally translates into “city of happiness”, and its typically hot… read more.

Location Information

Designed by German architect Herman Tilke, the Buriram International Circuit opened in 2014 and will see MotoGP™ making its debut this season. Located around 410km northeast from the country’s capital of Bangkok, the town of Buriram in the Buriram province literally translates into “city of happiness”, and its typically hot… read more.